Building in Public is now Bragging in Public

Table of Contents

• How "Building in Public" Has Changed Over Time
• Personal Experience with Tech Influencers
• The Psychological and Social Implications
• What People Are Saying
• Building in Public, or Wasting Time?
• The Problem With Building Before Selling
• The Reasons Behind It
• The Legal Pitfalls of Public Financial Disclosure
• How Trust is Affected in the Long Run
• Harsh Truth: No One Really Cares
• Last Thoughts
• More Useful Resources to Read

How "Building in Public" Has Changed Over Time

There was a time when "building in public" meant sharing the ups and downs, the nitty-gritty details of creating a startup. It was about community, transparency, and learning from each other's journeys. But lately, something has shifted. What was once a genuine sharing of progress has morphed into what seems like "bragging in public.”

Personal Experience with Tech Influencers

In the past couple of years, I've seen a pretty weird trend with these so-called Tech Gurus. These individuals, who often sell online courses, constantly post on social media about how much money they've made. They show off their alleged millions of dollars with screenshots from Stripe accounts that usually miss important details like the X and Y axes. I fell into this trap myself. I joined one of these courses, lured by the promise of financial success and personal growth. But it was all superficial—a dopamine high that left me feeling empty and cheated. These people brag about their wealth on platforms like LinkedIn, X, and IndieHackers, creating an illusion of success that's hard to verify.

If you’re interested in the online course trend and how it often focuses more on appearance than real value, take a look at my thoughts.

The Psychological and Social Implications

What are these people desperately trying to achieve? Are they so insecure that they need constant affirmation? Or are they performing for attention and sales? Whatever the motivation, the impact on their audience is significant. Seeing these inflated success stories can lead to unhealthy comparisons. When you're bombarded with claims like "I made $1 million last month," it's hard not to measure yourself against these so-called gurus. This comparison can lead to mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. 👉 Remember, "comparison is the thief of joy.”

What People Are Saying

Building in Public, or Wasting Time? 

Take Mitya Smusin, for example. He’s been throwing some hard truths around on X/Twitter, and if you’re not ready to hear them, you might want to skip this part. According to him, a lot of what you think matters in the indie hacker world is just smoke and mirrors. Want to make a splash on Product Hunt? He says that’s nothing but an ego play in a tiny echo chamber. If you really want to impress someone, go hit the gym—it’ll probably do more for your self-esteem than any upvotes from your friends.

Building an audience? Sure, it’s great for getting pats on the back from your mom, but how does that help your bottom line? Smusin suggests it doesn’t. You’re selling to indie hackers? That’s like trying to sell luxury cars to college students—they don’t have the capital, and you’re wasting your time. Fish where the fish are, not in a dried-up pond.

And what about this whole idea of “entrepreneurship” we’ve all been sold? Smusin isn’t pulling any punches here either. He says most rich people don’t even have a Twitter account. Why? Because they’re too busy running actual businesses, not trying to build a public persona.

The Problem With Building Before Selling

Mitya isn’t the only one challenging the status quo. Laike9m takes a similar stance but digs into the disconnect between what people say and what they do. Building in public is supposedly about transparency and sharing lessons learned, but no one really shows the ugly parts. You’ll hear about the $5K month, but not the $5 weeks. Most of what’s shared is cherry-picked to make people look more successful than they are.

Laike9m also points out a critical flaw in the “building before selling” mindset. So many founders pour months (even years) into building products no one wants. If you’re not getting real feedback from paying customers early on, you’re just playing a game with yourself. And no, it’s not a fun game—it’s more like a slow burn to frustration and burnout.

Below are more comments I found on X:

The Reasons Behind It

Many of these influencers push you to buy their courses and join their Discord communities. It seems like a performance, an elaborate act to boost their sales. They're not just sharing their success (if they are actually real 🧐); they're selling a dream, often with dubious proof. I wrote a short article about the decline of authenticity on LinkedIn.

The Legal Pitfalls of Public Financial Disclosure

And let's not forget the legal and financial risks. By sharing private financial information publicly, these individuals are essentially giving free information to tax authorities. Good luck dealing with the IRS or other tax agencies if they spot discrepancies in your tax returns!

How Trust is Affected in the Long Run

This change from real sharing to just showing off is ruining trust in the community. When everyone is trying to outdo each other with inflated success stories, it becomes hard to distinguish between what's real and what's fake. The long-term impact? A community that's skeptical, disillusioned, and less willing to engage in meaningful ways.

Harsh Truth: No One Really Cares

Here’s the reality check: no one cares if you’re “building in public” unless you’re actually solving problems that matter. The number of people who follow your journey? It’s irrelevant if you’re not making sales or growing a sustainable business. Smusin nails it when he says that most of the people who’ve “made it” on X are pushing blatant lies or insane exaggerations to sound cool. They had one good month, but they’ll make you think they’ve been pulling in massive MRR for years. Spoiler: they haven’t.

Last Thoughts

At the end of the day, if you’re serious about success, building in public isn’t going to get you there. It might boost your ego for a while, but it won’t make your business thrive. Smusin’s advice is clear: instead of chasing attention, focus on building something proven that works. And if you hit roadblocks, don’t give up after a few failed attempts. Most successful entrepreneurs go through dozens of failures before they finally find their breakthrough.

Are you tired of the bragging culture?

More Useful Resources to Read

If you liked this post, you might also want to check out The Problem with Online Courses and Don't Compare Yourself to Others. They dive into some similar topics.